Driving-axle.



H. W. ALDEN.

DRIVING AXLE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 15, 1910.

1,007,260, Patented Oct. 31, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE.

HERBERT W. ALDEN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE TIMKEN DETROIT AXLE COMPANY, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATIONOF MICHIGAN.

. DRIVING-AXLE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, HERBERT W. ALBEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Driving-Axles, of which the following isa speciication.

The subject-matter of this invention is divided out of an application for Letters Patent for axles, filed by me on March 31, 1910, serial No. 552,547. j y

The invention relates to driving mechanism for motor vehicles and the like, vand it has for its principal objects to secure a simple and etcient construction, and to attain certain :advantages hereinafter more fully appearing. A

The invention consists in the parts and in the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings which formpart of this specification and wherein like symbols referto like parts wherever they occur, Figure 1 is a fragmentary View, partly in top plan and partly in horizontal section, of the end portion of a driving axle and wheel hubjournaled thereon; and Fig. 2 is a fragmentary endxview.

-In the drawings, one end portion of'a hollow axle casing ortube 1 is shown, On the end of the axle 1 is a tubular spindleextension 2 on which the wheel hub is jour-.-

naled. Y

The hub of the wheel comprises a steel- Y inside of the barrel which provide stops -ce1ve securing bolts or studs 9 which are or seats for the outer bearing rings 7, v8, respectively. This construction permits of the use of thin metal with very little taken off for finish and still gives a multiplicity of good seating points or stops for each bearing cup or ring. The annular flange portion 4 is perforated at intervals to rescrew-threaded at their inner ends and projected through the spokes and also through perforations in the brake drum 10 or a separate clamping plate, as the case may be, and

spokes and the brake drum are clamped together. l

The outer-end portion of the driving shaft 12 (see Figs. 1 and2) is brought-through the hollow extension 2 on the end of the axl tube 1 and a driving plate 13 is rigidly at tached to the shaft. rlhis driving plate l13 is preferably circular and covers practically the entire outersurface of the hub flange 4 and it is connected to the same, preferably, by certain of the studs or bolts' 9. Any suitable or desirable number ofthe studs 9 may be employed, butpreferably. four of them are arranged substantially as shown. That is, they are provided with shouldersI or collars 14 and have threaded outer end portions 15 on which are fitted 'nuts 16 with interposed washers 17. .As shown in the drawing, it is preferable to counterbore the bolt holes in the flange of the hub and in the driving plate, in order that the flange and the driving plate may abut flatwise and in order also to secure the bolts more rigidly. By this arrangement, the driving plate'13 may be readily detached without necessitating the removal of the bolts 9 from the wheel. Thel central portion of thev plate 13 is cupped so as to provide an outwardly projecting hub portion 18. rl`he metal of this hub portion 18 is preferably somewhat thicker than the plate portion 13 and it is provided with a central opening which is a counterpart of the squared or polygonal end portion 19 of the driving shaft 12. Pv this arrangement, the power is transmitted through the driving shaft direct to the wheel hub.' A suit-,-

able protecting cover or cap 2() is secured Patented Oct. 31, 1911,.`

on the hub lportion 18l of the driving plate inclosing the endportion of the driving shaft 12 to prevent the latter being withdrawn from its engagement with the-central opening inthe hub of the driving plate,

, and to -prevent the entrance of dirt within the hubv or the escape of lubricating oil therefrom. It is, Yof course, understood that the opposite ends of the axle casing are'I similarly arranged and that the driving shaft 12 is usually made intwo sections whose inner ends are connected to a diiferential gear which is in turn connected with the motor. Such arrangement being obvious, the same is not illustrated in the drawings.

Obviously, the device admits of considerable modification Without departing from my invention. rlllheretore, l do not Wish to vbe limited to the specific construction and drum plate, a driving plate abutting hat! Wise against said Hange and having a hub portion provided with an axial perforation tting over the end portion of the shaft, and bolts threaded at both ends and provided with collars, said bolts extending through said brake drum plate, said flange and said driving plate at a distance from said barrel and with their collars between said Hange and said driving plate, whereby the driving plate may be dismounted Without aHect-ing the spokes. i

2. 'Ehe combination With a tubular axle, ot a driving shaft rotatably mounted therein, a Wheel hub rotatably mounted on -the end portion oi said axle and comprising a barrel portion having inwardly extending projections on its inner surface in annular alinement to constitute stops for bearing rings and having at its outer end an annular dange Wide enough te constitute spoke rooaaeo clamping plate, a brake drum plate, spokes between said flange and said brake drum plate, a driving plate abutting flatwise against said flange andhaving interlocking engagement with said driving shaft, and bolts 4threaded at both ends and provided with collars, said bolts extending through said brake drum plate, said flange and sald driving plate beingicounterbored to receiveA said collars.

3. rlhe `combination .with a tubular axle, of a driving shaft rotatably mounted therein, a Wheel hub rotatably mounted on the end :portion of 'said axle and comprising a barrel portion having at its outer end an annular Hange Wide enough to constitute a spokelelamping plate, a brake drum plate,

spokes Vbetween said iiange and said brake day of July, i910.

Witnesses:

VERA Mnimnnn, l-lanvr Waaraan 

